The Rival
by HD is not High Definition
Summary: Kanata learns what jealousy feels like, when Santa innocently says something about Yaboshi Seiya that makes his blood boil. Ruu was HIS child; who cared if Seiya looked like him?
1. Chapter 1

"Class, let's welcome Yaboshi Seiya."

"My name is Yaboshi Seiya! Please take care of me!"

And that's when Miyu and Kanata's problems began.

* * *

_2 days ago…_

Miyu struggled out of the supermarket, triumphantly holding up a few grocery bags. Her hair was rumpled, her left shoe sole had gotten broken, and there were smudges as proof of the, uh, battle, but she beamed brightly.

"I actually managed to grab a box of croquettes during the super sale!" she gloated. "I must be getting better at this!"

She hummed as she walked down the street, back to Saionji Temple… her home. She stopped short upon seeing a familiar head of brown hair outside the supermarket gate.

"Ah! Kanata!"

He turned around, saw her, and grinned.

"Hey, Miyu!"

She paused. He seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood. He willingly grabbed a few of her grocery bags, smiling at her in a way that made her curious.

"What are you doing here?"

"Same as you," he grinned broadly. "Here for the sale at the supermarket!"

Miyu tilted her head. "What's up with you? You're acting different…"

"I'm just happy," he smiled at her again, his smile soft and warm. He swiftly turned around so that Miyu couldn't see his eyes.

"…because I can meet you," he murmured, but Miyu could hear it. She froze.

"Kanata…"

"Miyu… I… I wanted to tell you something," he hesitated, and swiftly took her hand that wasn't occupied by the plastic bag. Her face turned a deep red.

"K- Kanata?" she squeaked. "What are you…?"

Her eyes suddenly narrowed suspiciously, and she leaned in… and gently sniffed him.

"Miyu…? What are you-?"

"Mou!" she smacked his shoulder. "Seiya-kun!"

He stiffened. "Miyu, what are you-?"

"Give me a break, Seiya-kun," she rolled her eyes. "I've already figured out how to know who it is between you and Kanata."

'Kanata' dramatically sighed. "I'm hurt, Miyu. You don't really think I'm Yaboshi, do you?"

She rolled her eyes, sighing. "Come on…"

They continued to walk to Saionji Temple, and Miyu had to admit, she was impressed; he looked exactly like the real Kanata.

"So, Miyu…" he suddenly broke the silence. "How _could_ you tell?"

She smiled, rather amusedly. "Kanata smells a little like pumpkin."

"I see…" Seiya smiled good-naturedly. "I'll have to remember that."

The two began to climb up the steps to Saionji Temple, Miyu puffing slightly.

"How long are you staying on Earth?"

"Let's just say," said Seiya, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "You'll be seeing me a lot around here."

"What do you me- whoa!"

The left shoe had finally decided to give way, and Miyu let out a slight gasp as she began to fall backwards… only to be caught by the boy who currently looked like her housemate.

"K- Kanata…?" she slipped and his name tumbled off her tongue. He chuckled softly.

"I'm not him…" his hand slid down to her waist, his voice lowering. "But if you want, I can pretend to be him for you."

Her eyes widened, and she puffed out her cheeks in indignation. "I don't want to _pretend_ with you! Mou… change back, Seiya."

He sighed, but dutifully nodded. Brunette melted into blonde, and Miyu sighed a little in relief. It had been unnerving, to constantly remind herself that the Kanata lookalike wasn't actually him.

"Do I want to know?"

Miyu's head snapped up as the real Kanata walked up the steps, and leaning down, picked up the grocery bags the two had dropped. He headed up the steps, not bothering to break his stride. She flushed as she suddenly realized how close her and Seiya's face were. She swiftly steadied herself, before firmly pulling herself out of the blonde alien's grasp.

"Thanks," she muttered. "You want to stay for dinner?"

"Aw, how kind!" Seiya teased. "My offer from earlier still stands."

Even the roots of her hair turned red.

"I DON'T NEED YOU TO DO THAT!" she roared and stomped up the stairs, huffing indignantly. Seiya just smiled after her.

* * *

"Seiya!"

Miyu and Kanata looked up in surprise as Ruu's voice happily rang out.

_Looks like Ruu learned another word…_

_But __**why**__ did it have to be that one…?_

Seiya smiled cheerfully. "Hi, Ruu! Here…"

He took out a brightly wrapped sweet from his pocket, but before he could give it to him, a hand intercepted.

"No," Miyu said firmly.

"Aw, come on, Miyu," Seiya wheedled.

"I said _no_, Seiya-kun."

"But this is just normal Sharakian candy, I swear!"

"Well, if that's the case," Kanata emerged from his room, clearly tired of hearing them argue. "Just let him have the candy, Miyu."

"That's not the issue," she shook her head. "Ruu could spoil his appetite. If he finishes all of his food and is willing to eat it, I'll let him eat it then."

Ruu pouted, clearly aware he had been denied a sweet, but still couldn't resist floating into his Earth mother's arms.

"Mama!"

"Yes, Ruu, dinner's almost ready," she smiled gently. "Let's go wash up, okay?"

"Wow…" Seiya said, smirking slightly at the blonde girl's retreating figure. "Miyu would make a _really_ great mom."

Kanata stiffened at that, but easily hid his nervousness with a cough.

"Come on… let's go eat."

* * *

"Ittekimasu!" Miyu and Kanata called out simultaneously as they dashed out to school. Wannya, who was sweeping the front porch, looked up.

"Itterasshai!" he called out, Ruu and Pepo floating above him. The two waved goodbye as well as the two teens dashed to school.

"Ne… where do you think Seiya-kun went yesterday?" Miyu wondered as they ran. Kanata shrugged.

"Why? Did he look suspicious?"

"Well… he said he was going to see us a lot… I wonder what he's planning to do?"

"You know, if you're so worried," he said dryly. "Maybe you should become his mom too."

She rolled her eyes. "Mou, Kanata…"

The two of them finally reached the school, and settled into their seats.

"Good morning Aya! Hi Nanami!"

"Ne, ne, did you hear?" Aya said excitedly. "We have a new student!"

"Cool!" Miyu smiled happily. "I hope he or she becomes a friend!"

"All right, all right, settle down," the teacher came in, holding a stack of papers. "We have a new classmate to introduce, as I'm sure you've all heard. All right, come on in!"

The door slid open, and while the class broke out in excited giggles and whispers, two students in the class froze, jaws dropping.

"Class, let's welcome Yaboshi Seiya."

"Hello!" he grinned, and several females in the class swooned at the gray-eyed pretty boy. "My name is Yaboshi Seiya! Please take care of me!"

* * *

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Two voices rang out simultaneously during the lunch hour. Seiya giggled, a sweatdrop sliding down as Kanata and Miyu glared at him, cornering him behind the school's equipment building.

"I thought it'd be a nice surprise! I'm coming to your school now!"

"What about your school?!" Kanata retorted. "The one on Sharaku?"

"Oh… I graduated of course!" Seiya gave them a puzzled look. "On Sharaku, we advance based on our personal speed and brain level, not time. There are some people who are Ruu's age and have graduated faster than me."

_Aliens…_

Miyu and Kanata sighed.

"Well, why'd you come here, then?"

"I'm bored!"

The two Earthlings immediately plummeted to the ground. There was no sweatdrop big enough for the both of them.

"I read a manual and it told me about schools on Earth! So I'm all prepared!"

Miyu had to admit, the Japanese school uniform looked good on the pretty Sharaku boy.

"Come on, it'll be fun!"

And without waiting for a response, the boy slung an arm over each of their shoulders and casually began to drag the stammering two back to the class.

* * *

As soon as they entered the classroom, a group of girls immediately clustered around Seiya.

"Ne, ne, Yaboshi-kun, where are you from?"

Miyu and Kanata froze, both of them whirling around.

"America."

They both slumped in relief, releasing their breaths.

"Wow! Where did you live!?"

"In Hollywood."

"He's so cool!" Several of the girls squealed.

"So you know English?"

"Yes. I come from an alien planet and we have already learned all of your languages here on Earth," he responded fluently in English.

The girls giggled more, clearly not understanding a word he was saying. Miyu and Kanata exchanged looks. They didn't really know English, but knew the twinkle in Seiya's dark gray eyes couldn't be a good sign. With a resigned sigh and a shrug, the two of them went to their respective seats. Miyu began to chat with Nanami and Aya, while Kanata took out a manga he had been reading.

"Wow!"

"He sounds like a movie star!"

"Ne, you came in with Saionji-kun and Kouzuki-san, right? Do you know them?"

"Oh, yeah, they're friends of mine."

"I just realized!" Santa's voice rang out. "You looked familiar to me!"

"Hmm?"

"You look kinda like Miyu's younger brother! What was his name…?"

"Ah, Ruu," Seiya smiled. "I love that kid."

"He's good with children too!" a few of the girls fainted.

"Yeah… haha!" Santa laughed. "You know, I know this is weird, what with Miyu being his sister and all… but you kind of look like you could be his dad!"

Kanata's hands tightened around his manga, which didn't go unnoticed by the Sharakian boy. He hid a mischievous smirk.

"Interesting idea… then Miyu could be his mom and I could be his dad!" he grinned cheerfully.

"They do match well…" one of the girls dolefully admitted. Kanata turned to look at the emerald-eyed girl, who was happily chatting with her friends as she ate a rice ball.

_Miyu…_

Kanata abruptly stood, and left the classroom. On his way out, the door slammed louder than normal.


	2. Chapter 2

Miyu stomped through the forest, knapsack strapped securely on her back.

_That… That jerk!_ She fumed. _Kanata, you cad! Geez!_

She couldn't believe that he had the nerve, the _gall_, to banish her from Saionji Temple! _Banish_! As if he were some sort of king and she was a lowly commoner! She continued to rage as she stomped down the street.

_Now a matter of where I'm going to stay…_ she mused. _Maybe Nanami-chan would be willing to let me sleep over?_

She walked over to a pay phone and slid some coins in, reminding herself to ask her parents for a cell phone next time they contacted her.

The short-haired sporty girl didn't pick up, so Miyu began to ponder who else she could contact for shelter that night.

_Ring, ring._

"Hello?"

"Um, Aya-chan, this is Miyu. Could-?"

"Miyu!" Aya squealed. "I'm so glad you called! I got a new idea for a story, if you could just listen to this…"

And with that, the pigtailed girl began to rattle off details without bothering to wait for Miyu to speak. Miyu sweatdropped and hung up, mid-speech. She had a good feeling Aya didn't even notice.

_Well… who else could I call?_

There was Christine, but… she shuddered as she imagined that scenario.

If the pink-haired girl found out that Miyu had left, Saionji Temple wouldn't be safe that night; Chris-chan would definitely try to make moves then.

…not that Miyu cared. Who _cared_ about stupid Kanata and his stupid love life?

Well… maybe Mikan-san would let her stay… but… Miyu blushed.

_Mizuki-san…_

She had such a crush on him, it was embarrassing. She prayed he never knew, but even if he did, he still treated her with respect and smiled fondly at her.

_What a nice guy… unlike __**some**__ jerks_

… _why am I thinking of Kanata again?!_

"Miyu-chan?"

She jumped a few feet in the air from shock and whirled around.

"S- Seiya-kun!" she gasped, a hand on her heart. "Don't scare me like that again!"

"Ah, sorry… but you were just standing in the middle of the road, blushing. You weren't thinking of me, by any chance, were you?" he teased.

"Not a chance," she responded without missing a beat. He clutched his heart dramatically.

"Miyu-chan! I'm hurt!"

"Yeah, yeah," she whirled around. "Anyways, I'm going ho-!"

The word stuck before she could finish it. She couldn't explain why, but her vision became blurry.

_I can't go home. I don't __**have**__ a home._

_Mama and Papa didn't want me, and now Kanata doesn't either._

"Ne… Miyu-chan…"

She quickly shook her head to clear the tears from her eyes. "Wh- What, Seiya-kun?"

He gave her an unfathomable look, one that seemed to know everything, and then broke out in a wide smile.

"Would you like to have dinner together?"

"…eh?" Miyu's face turned crimson.

"Ah, not like that!" he waved a hand. "I meant if you'd like to come to my place for dinner."

"Your place?"

"Come on."

To her surprise, he grabbed her hand, and gently tugged on it. She wordlessly followed him, still not quite sure if this was real or not.

* * *

"So, Miyu…"

His voice suddenly broke the silence as the two walked through the forest behind Saionji Temple, towards where he had parked his UFO.

"Why did you and Kanata fight?"

"Wh- Who said we fought?" she tried to sound convincing, but he just raised an eyebrow, clearly in disbelief.

"_Oh, Miyu, I love you!"_

"_Oh, Kanata! I love you too! Like a brother!"_

"_Eh? Could it be someone has already stolen your affection?"_

"_Yes! That Yaboshi Seiya-sama, he is soooo gorgeous!"_

"_No, my love, don't leave!"_

"_I have to! I have to be with that super hunky, genius Sharakia-!_ Ouch!"

"THAT IS NOT WHAT I SOUND LIKE!" Miyu roared, blowing on her fist after she had just clonked the Sharakian alien over the head.

"Mou, Miyu-chan," he winced, tenderly rubbing the spot. "I was just joking… we all know you like to keep your love for me silent and deep inside."

"…gorgeous?" she raised an eyebrow. "Super hunky?"

"I said I'm from Hollywood," he shrugged sheepishly. "I was looking up descriptions of celebrities."

She shook her head, but couldn't stop a laugh.

"Ah! There's a Kouzuki Miyu smile!" he grinned. She smiled gratefully at him.

"Thanks, Seiya-kun."

"So… what did you and Kanata fight about?"

She slumped, sighing in defeat.

"I don't even remember. Something about the chores. He got mad, and then I got mad, and…then he called me a klutz, and so I pointed out how he never closes the toothpaste cap, and he said if it bothered me so much, I should just do it for him every day! I already put the toilet seat down and now he wants me to close the toothpaste too? Next, I'll be getting Wanya's job of being the housekeeper! Seriously! He said if I'm not going to pull my weight around the place, I didn't deserve to live at the temple! Even though I told him how much I've been taking care of Ruu-kun lately! And, can you believe this? He _banished_ me! Of all the nerve!" she fumed. "It's not like I'm here as his guest! I'm here as my parents' friend's guest!"

"Wow… sounds like you two got in a big spat… but, there's something good from all of this."

"What?" Miyu asked miserably. Seiya grinned as he opened the door to his UFO. The ramp slid down and the two slowly began to ascend.

"I made strawberry pie, and now I don't have to eat it alone."

* * *

"Mama! _Mammaaaaa!_"

"Come on, Ruu," Kanata said cajolingly, rattling a toy in front of him. "Mama's not here, but don't you want to play with Papa?"

"Mam_ma!_"

Kanata's eyes widened as he flew back a few feet thanks to Ruu's psychic abilities. He wasn't hurt, but he was surprised. He had never seen Ruu so furious. Then again… the last time Miyu had been gone for this long, she had left quietly, and Ruu had simply been sad.

Ruu promptly began to bawl loudly, screaming for Miyu to come. Kanata put a hand to his forehead, trying to ease the ache as Wanya ran to get another toy to try and satisfy Ruu.

Even the time they fought at the mall, they hadn't fought as loudly as they did today.

But this time… Kanata winced. They had never had a fight this big. And over something so stupid! He still didn't know why he had banished her. For starters, it was a strange word to use in general. Also, it wasn't as if he was trying to get her angry… it was just that she mentioned taking care of Ruu, and he couldn't help but to feel that she was accusing him of not taking as much responsibility of Ruu. Hadn't he been a good Earth father? He cared about Ruu just as much as Miyu did.

So he didn't sing him to sleep, or burp him, or feed him, or change his diapers as frequently as Miyu did, but still! He was still smarting from what Santa and Seiya had said the other day.

… _you kind of look like you could be his dad…!_

…_Miyu could be his mom and I could be his dad…_

Kanata bit his lip in frustration. Ruu was _his_ child. Not by blood, but he still would do anything to protect Ruu. He couldn't deny that Miyu would do the same; she had proven it, hadn't she, when they went to America?

His stomach clenched painfully when he imagined a scenario. A picture of him and Miyu cuddled around Ruu just seemed so… right to him.

(A/N: You know the opening and ending of Daa! Daa! Daa!/ UFO Baby, how there's that picture with the three of them at the end of every theme song? I'm talking about that one, where Kanata's on the right, Miyu's on the left, and Ruu's between them… adorable, ne?)

But… taking himself out of the picture and putting Seiya in… it just didn't work!

He knew he was jealous; that much was obvious. He wasn't a stranger to jealousy. After all, he spent most of his childhood, feeling the sins of envy and jealousy when he saw other kids with their homemade lunchboxes from their mothers, or when their mothers cuddled them from an early age. He knew the feeling of want.

But there was another feeling, and he wasn't quite so sure what it was.

But… he assured himself, it was all because of Ruu. He didn't want to lose his position as Ruu's Earth father. It had nothing to do with Miyu.

Then why did he feel so worried about her?

For all he knew, she could be sitting out in the cold, bruised, bleeding… maybe unconscious…

* * *

"Ahhh! I'm stuffed!" Miyu leaned back, patting her stomach. "That was amazing, Seiya-kun!"

"I know, right?" Seiya smiled proudly. "I got the latest UFO installments!"

"Sharakian food is great!" Miyu smiled cheerfully. "Remind me to learn that recipe from you sometime!"

"Well, now that dinner's over…"

Seiya pressed a button and the table automatically cleared. Miyu's eyes widened. Aliens really were amazing…

She was so deep in thought, she didn't notice Seiya until he put his hands on her shoulder.

"Miyu…"

"E- Eh?" she squeaked as she turned to see him, a serious expression on his face.

"We're alone… just you and me…"

"Ehehe… hehe… um, Seiya-kun…"

She frantically turned her head from side to side, looking for the exit.

"Miyu…" he repeated, his voice suddenly low and undeniably husky. She gulped.

"Do you want me to look like Kanata?" he murmured, and on the spot, his features changed so that he was the brunette boy. "Would that… make it easier?"

"M- Make what easier?"

"…I know this is your first time, but…"

"N- No… don't…" she managed weakly. He suddenly grabbed her shoulders and she silently shrieked.

"Miyu… close your eyes," he instructed. She struggled and finally broke away from him.

"Thanks for dinner it was great must be going now see you at school!" she babbled and made a dash for the door. She had barely taken a few steps before Seiya suddenly wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't go," he murmured. "We should take advantage of the… opportunity…"

"O- Opp…Oppor…" Miyu could only faintly repeat what he was saying, until she paused.

"W- Wait a minute… exactly _where_ is your hand right now?"

Seiya gulped as Miyu suddenly noticed that his hand was firmly latched on her…

"YOU PERVERT!"

* * *

"Ehehehe! It was just a joke, Miyu-chan! And I didn't mean to grab your-!"

Miyu shot a glare at the Sharakian boy, promptly shutting him up. He was back to his original form, a bump swelling on top of his head.

"Hmph!" she turned her nose up. "I'm leaving!"

"To go where?" he struggled to stand. "Back to Saionji?"

She suddenly slumped. "No…"

"Eh? So you and Kanata did fight!" Seiya crowed. "I knew it! Well it's okay, Miyu-chan, lovers quarrels happen all the time, so-"

The look Miyu gave him could have melted steel. Seiya giggled nervously again.

"Kanata and I are _not_ lovers," she declared. "This is a matter of convenience, since Ruu-kun needed parents."

"Well it looks like his mother just bailed on him," Seiya pointed out. Miyu shrugged, unable to stop the roiling in her stomach that had nothing to do with the dinner.

"What can I do about it?" she muttered. "That _is_ Kanata's house, and he forced me out."

"…"

Suddenly, an idea, a big, beautiful, _brilliant_ idea popped into Seiya's head. He actually almost did an evil villain's laugh. This was so _perfect._

He quickly changed his expression to that of a somber, understanding friend.

"You know what, Miyu-chan?" he offered. "You can stay here for the night."

Miyu immediately tensed.

"I have a guest room… with a lock," he added. "I won't try anything… but… you know, about your problem with Kanata… I want to help you."

"Eh?" her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why?"

He immediately put on a grieving face. "Why, Miyu-chan, I'm hurt that you're suspecting me. It's for adorable little Ruu. I just want him to have the very best parents Earth could offer."

She continued to gaze at him suspiciously, but nodded. "All right, what's your plan?"

"Tomorrow, make sure to play along with whatever I do."

She frowned. "Seiya-kun, what are you planning?"

"Just promise me you'll play along with what I do."

She sighed. "Okay."

"Promise?"

"I... promise," she cringed. She was sure she was going to regret this later.

Seiya nearly burst out into evil villainous laughter right then.

_This is going to be so fun! I'm glad I came to Earth after all!_

* * *

Kanata dragged himself to school. Ruu had spent all night crying and screaming for Miyu, and he had barely gotten an hour of sleep. His hair was mussed and he was sure he had dark circles under his eyes.

"Kanata-kun!" Chris gasped. "What happened?"

He shook his head. "Don't ask, Hanakomachi."

"Oi, Kanata!" Santa's cheerful voice pierced the air. "You look horrible!"

"…you…" he managed bitingly before his head collapsed on the desk. He could barely make out muffled gasps and giggles.

"It's Yaboshi-kun!"

Sighs and giggles left from most of the girls' lips, as well as something that made Kanata freeze.

"Isn't that Kouzuki-san he's with?"

The door slid open, revealing a brightly smiling Seiya, a downcast Miyu next to him, who looked just as horrible as Kanata felt.

He immediately felt something akin to guilt, but that was squashed the minute something strange and unbelievable happened before Kanata's very eyes.

Girls in the class went silent as Seiya took Miyu's hand.

"Come along… honey," he threw in for good measure. "We should get to your seat."

Miyu's face was so red it was hard to tell where any of her facial features were.

"S- Seiya… chan,I can find my own seat," she gritted out. "…darling."

"But I want to help you," he 'murmured' loudly enough for the class to hear, wrapping an arm around her small waist. "I want to be someone you can rely on."

Miyu had to resist the urge to send her fist flying into his face. She quickly broke away from him, face flushed.

_So __**this**__ is what he meant when he said to play along?!_

"Thank you… Seiya… uh, chan," she said hesitantly. "But seriously, I'll just… go to my seat."

She quickly fled, trying to pretend she didn't hear Seiya's shout of "All right, I'll see you later then, beautiful!".

…_what I will do to your face later is going to be the opposite of beautiful…_ Miyu steamed as she grumpily plopped into her seat.

"Ne, ne!" Aya squealed, coming up to Miyu's desk. "Are you going out with Yaboshi-kun?"

"Hurk!" Miyu waved a hand. "Never."

"But he seems so interested in you!"

"Ne, Kouzuki-chan! You're so lucky!"

"You have Kanata-sama and Yaboshi-kun wrapped around your finger!"

"Never!" she protested. "Kanata and I are just friends! Er, cousins!"

"Oi."

There was a moment of silence as the girls parted swiftly. Kanata sweatdropped, but made his way to Miyu's desk, who tentatively backed away.

"Wh- What?"

"Can we talk?"

"I don't want to talk to _y-"_

"_Oh, of course, Kanata-kun. What do you want to talk about?"_

"_Miyu. I had to give you a confession."_

"_Oh, my! What confession would that be?"_

"_A confession of __**love! And then Miyu and Kanata go to the same high school, and become high school sweethearts and then Kanata decides he can't take it anymore and decides to propose in front of the whole school and-**_!"

"On second thought, let's go!" Miyu gulped as Chris started to throw things across the classroom. The two hightailed it out just as Mizuno-sensei entered.

"Eh? Where are those two going… oh well," she shrugged. "Shall we begin class?"

* * *

Kanata and Miyu walked behind the school gymnasium until Miyu finally broke the silence.

"What do you want?" she asked, slightly more harshly than she intended to.

"…I need you back at Saionji Temple."

Her eyes widened. "E- Eh?"

"…please."

How strange it was to hear Kanata, proud, selfish Kanata, actually pleading for something.

"Wh- Why?" she turned away from him. "Last I saw, it seemed like you were handling the situation fine."

"I can't… I can't take care of Ruu without you," he finally admitted. "At this rate, Ruu could destroy the temple. His powers have been out of control ever since yesterday. Wanya transformed as you to try to pretend, but he couldn't be fooled. He knew it wasn't you."

"That's my Ruu-kun for you," Miyu said satisfactorily, and Kanata couldn't help but to feel some strange tightening in his throat.

…_Miyu would make a __**great**__ mom…_ Seiya's voice rang in his head, and he shook his head.

"A- Anyways," he said quickly. "Would you come back? I… I take back your banishment and everything."

She couldn't help a laugh. "Of course I will."

"R- Really?"

Sometimes, he forgot how forgiving the stupid girl could be.

"I missed Ruu-kun too," she admitted. "So I'll come back for him."

"…I'm… I'm sorry, by the way," he forced out. "I didn't mean to kick you out."

"…I'm sorry too," she muttered. "I can't believe we fought over something so stupid."

"Y- Yeah…" he exhaled. "What were we fighting about anyways?"

"…something about chores?"

"…you have no idea too, huh?"

The two just stared at each other, and then broke out in laughs.

"So… You'll be coming to the temple with me after school, right?"

She smiled brightly. "Count on it."

His heart flipped a little, and he whirled around, bowing his head, so that she couldn't catch sight of his reddened cheeks.

"K- Kanata?"

"I'll see you later then!" he called over his shoulder and ran back to class. He couldn't stop the smile secretly unfurling on his face.


End file.
